Public Opinion & the Media
Linkage Institutions
I. Public Opinion
• Public opinion: refers to a collection of
beliefs held by the public regarding
public issues (i.e. political policies,
foreign affairs, healthcare and welfare,
moral issues, crime, etc.)
• Political socialization: the way in which
citizens in a country learn and develop
their ideas about government and
politics
II. Political Socialization
• FAMILY: In the United States, family is
the #1 influence on the development
of our political values
• Media & education: are powerful
factors as well
III. Values
• Values most Americans hold about
politics include respect for democracy
and independence, hard work,
guaranteed protection of rights and
civil liberties, civic duty, and
responsibility
• Together, these values make up our
political culture
IV. Public opinion polls are a
LINKAGE INSTITUTION
• Why? Because they connect the people to
the government and the government to the
people by informing both parties of how the
other feels or what they intend to do (i.e.
voting intentions, policymaking suggestions,
etc.)
• Americans have diverse political ideologies =
personal beliefs about specific policies
government should pursue
• These are commonly measured by public
opinion polls
V. Conservatives vs. Liberals
• Conservatives: tend to favor limited
government and freedom of the private
sector– many support military spending,
prayer in school, reduced taxes, and oppose
government spending, abortion, and
affirmative action
• Liberals: tend to favor active central
government with social and economic
responsibilities– many favor more equal
distribution of wealth, government regulations
of big business, social programs, and oppose
defense spending, prayer in school, and tax
breaks for the rich
VI. Public Opinion Polls
• These polls are geared toward what type of
knowledge the organization intends to collect
(some opinion polls are simply conducted to see
where the public stands on a current event or
topic)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubR8rEgSZSU
– Exit polls: voters respond to questions as they leave
the voting place (non-voters are NOT included and
those who haven’t voted yet might be influenced)–
often used as a demographics determinant (how did
Muslims, women, or African Americans vote in a given
election?)
– http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/exitpolls-americas-voters-bleak-mood-n241191
– http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/05/exitpolls_n_6108574.html
Public Opinion Polls Con’t.
• Push polls: disinformation is planted in the minds of those
being surveyed to change opinion
– For example: “would you still vote for….if you found out
they had a child as a teenager out of wedlock?”
– http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/0tl5ul/push-polling
• Straw polls: conducted to determine “which way the
wind blows”– how certain demographics feel; about
particular issues or ideas (for example, the White House
uses them to determine if a policy under consideration
would be favorable or not; online polling is often an
example of this); these are often known as “trial
balloons”
– http://whotv.com/2015/01/09/iowa-republican-partyvotes-on-straw-poll/
VII. Bandwagon Effect
• Definition: poll results that influence
people to support the person who
appears to be the leading candidate
• Horserace journalism: media focus on
candidate’s place in the race